William h



(No Model.)

W. H. RATCLIPF.

STIRRUP.

No.`319,123. Patente-d JunerZ, 1885.

UNITED zSTATES Pn'rnnr @ritieni WILLIAM II. RATCLIFF, OIF-AGENCY,MISSOURI.

STlRRUP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 319,123, dated June 2,1885,

Application filed November 20,1884. (No model To all whom t may concern;

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. RATCLIFF, a citizen of the United States,residing at Agency, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stirrups, and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such4 as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings and letters ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Like letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

This invention relates to stirrups for sad dies; and the noveltyconsists inthe construction, arrangement, and adaptation of parts, aswill be inore fully hereinafter set forth, and specically pointed out inthe claim. In devices of this kind it is desirable that the strapblockshall have liberty to revolve independent of its shaft, for the reasonthat the revolutions of the metal shaft in the side bars of the stirrupsoon wears its bearings and begets looseness and rattling. It isnecessary that the roller should revolve in order that the suspendedstirrup may with little friction accommodate itself to the foot of therider and change from one position to another. W'hen the stirrup-rolleris rigid, the strap engages and lets it free in such quick succession asto produce a jerking action, both disagreeable to the rider andproductive of a creaking noise. This creaking noise always accompaniesthe rubbing of a leather surface on another. If the roller revolves, itcan be made practically noiseless, and produces little wear on thestrap. I provide a stirrup in which the shaft of the strap-block is heldrigid with the body of the stirrup by rivet-plates, which lie flat uponthe outer inclined faces of the stirrup. I provide that the roller-blockshall revolve freely upon said shaft and have vertical end bearings, andI provide that both the rivetplates of the shaft and the rollers shallhave a metal bearing upon a single plate of metal, which serves as anornamental mounting for the whole.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure l isaperspective, and Fig. 2 a vertical section.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the body-frame, of wood, bentinto such forni as to present inclined outer faces, a, and verticalinner faces, a. These faces, when covered according to this invention,present peculiar features of advantage. A mounting, C, of sheet-brass orother metal which will receive a high polish, covers the outer face ofthe frame, and is bont inward over the top in both directions, is laidflat against the vertical faces c', and, passinga short distance downthe inside of the frame-legs, is secured near each end by bolts orrivets c c, which pass through two thicknesses of the mounting C at thatpoint. A singlerivet, b', secures it at the center of the step, asshown. The mounting is slightly wider than the body, and has its f uppercorners rounded off to present a neat appearance.

The parts thus far described comprise the body of the stirrup. Theroller or strap block I3 has a longitudinal central bore, ZJ, whichloosely receives the shaft D. The shaft, being cut to the proper length,is passed through proper orices in the upper portions of the arms, andrivet-plate d having been placed on the end it is riveted down,with therivet-plate lying iiat upon the oblique outer face of the mounting-i.e., at a considerable angle to the plane of the shaft. Care is taken toallow the roller B liberty to revolve freely, and the uprightfaces ofthe mounting over the surfaces a give a durable bearing to the roller asagainst end motion. The shaft, by rcason of its rigid rivet-platesbearing squarely against the oblique outer Tacos, is held' rigid withthe body, and will last for years without loosening. The large area ofthe roller upon its shaft will prevent any considerable wear in thatdirection, while the bearings of its ends give a very slight frictionupon the niountings.

I deem it important that, the entire metal mounting is made from asingle piece of metal, and that this mounting does by its adapta tionserve to hold the shaft from revolution in one direction and allowrevolution to the roller in the other.

I am aware of Patents No. 137,668, of 1873,

ICO

in which the strap-block does not revolve; of Reissued Patent No. 9,244,of 1880, in which no provision is made to prevent the shaft fromturning, and of Patent No. 193,467, of 1877, in which, if the nut istightened, neither will revolve, and if loosened both will. In none ofthese patents does a single metal blank serve as a mounting and providelocking means for the shaft upon the one hand, and a smooth bearing-facefor a revolving strap-block upon the other.

I am aware of Patent No. 209,117, of 1878, in which both inclined sidesof the stirrup are cut away to give a square bearing to the bolthead andnut. In practice, with such construction the bolt is liable to turn withthe roll. prevent the bolt from turning.

ture lies the gist ofl the invention.

In my device I utilize this incline to In this fea- What I claim as newis- The stirrup described, consisting of the body A, having inclinedfaces a and plane;

vertical faces a', the mounting B C, made of a single piece of metal,and secured to said body as shown, the shaft D, having rivet-plates igidwith the shaft, and having flat bearings upon the inclined faces of themounting, and the strap-block B, having eind bearings against themounting, whereby the strap-block is allowed to revolve and the shaft isheld rigid, all combined and operating as and for the purposes setforth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature iu presence of two witnesses.

XVILLIAM H. RATCLIFF. Witnesses:

' VILLIAM M. BOONE,

WILLIAM R. CoRTNE-R.

